Unfortunately, right now my life has been getting busier so I will probably not have time to post that often. However, I will try to update when possible! In the meantime, try any of the links below for information, and keep your eyes open for the missing!

Saturday, February 3, 2007

FOUND SAFE: Sara Herbay

Girl found with mother's ex-boyfriendBy Jill King GreenwoodTRIBUNE-REVIEWSaturday, February 3, 2007A 16-year-old girl who disappeared from herSharpsburg home in October was in the custody of child welfare officials Fridayafter being found living with her mother's ex-boyfriend in West Mifflin, policesaid.Sara Ann Herbay, who ran away from home Oct. 9 and was reportedmissing a day later, was found about 6 a.m. yesterday when Allegheny CountySheriff's deputies, investigators with the District Attorney's office and WestMifflin police raided the Jane Street home of John Leroy Keller.Sara wasnot injured and had been living in a room in a finished basement."She wasin tears. She cried the entire time she was with us," said sheriff's Sgt.Michael Scherbanic.Police charged Keller, 32, with concealing thewhereabouts of a child and interfering with child custody. He was arraignedyesterday morning and is being held in the county jail in lieu of $100,000 bond.Investigators started looking for Keller in June, about four months beforeSara's disappearance, because he was wanted on three counts of failure to paychild support."He was very elusive. We searched everywhere and could notfind him," Scherbanic said.Shortly after Sara disappeared, policeinterviewed her mother, Eleanore Donofrio-Herbay, of Allentown, and her father,Michael Herbay, of Sharpsburg, and suspected that Keller was involved in Sara'sdisappearance.On Oct. 17, a week after Michael Herbay reported his daughtermissing, he filed an emergency custody petition in Allegheny County Family Courtrequesting an "immediate change of custody." He alleged in the petition that itrecently had been discovered that Sara "has been having an intimaterelationship" with Keller, who was then her mother's live-in boyfriend.ACommon Pleas judge then ordered that Donofrio-Herbay risked losing all custodyrights if she allowed Keller near her daughter.Police last week trackedKeller to a Lawrenceville body shop where he worked. They arrested him on thethree outstanding warrants for child support and questioned him about Sara'sdisappearance. He said he hadn't seen her since early December, said sheriff'sDetective Jay Stegena. Keller was jailed for 48 hours on the child supportcharges and freed Sunday after posting $5,000 bond.Police, believing Sarawas with Keller since her disappearance, got several new leads this week thatled them to the Jane Street address."It appears she willingly went with himand could have left at any point, but it's hard to say what she was thinking orwhat she went through because she's only 16. He is twice her age," Scherbanicsaid. "It's easy to manipulate and coerce or even brainwash a child that is only16, but something must have been really bad at either of her homes to make herthink going with this guy was going to be better."An adult female relativeof Keller's and four other relatives between the ages of 16 and 20 were livingin the Jane Street home as well."Part of our investigation is finding outwhy they didn't report her being there or what, if any, involvement they had,"Scherbanic said.Neighbors on Jane Street said they didn't know Keller andhadn't seen Sara in the area. Donofrio-Herbay declined to comment when sheanswered the door at her Allentown home. No one answered the door at MichaelHerbay's home yesterday afternoon, and a man at Priority 1 Auto Service, whereKeller was working, declined to identify himself or comment on Keller's arrest.Sara was placed in the custody of the county Office of Children, Youth andFamilies. Keller is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Thursday."She's safe for now," Scherbanic said. "Over 27 years of doing this job,there are a lot of aspects of it that I have grown to despise, but finding thisgirl this morning felt pretty good."Jill King Greenwood can be reached at jgreenwood@tribweb.com or412-321-2160.